Ardhanareeshwara/Ardhanari is an androgynous deity composed of Shiva and his consort Shakti/Parvati, representing the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies. The Ardhanari form also illustrates how the female principle of God, Shakti is inseparable from the male principle of God, Shiva. Ardhanari in iconography is depicted as half-male and half-female, split down the middle.